Lai Ruea Fai Festival and Red Cross Fair to kick off from Friday
The Illuminated Boat Procession Festival and Red Cross Fair will open in Nakhon Phanom province on Friday until October 30.
The Red Cross Fair will be held at the City Hall in Mueang district. It will feature exhibitions, traditional performances and merchandise of food and handicrafts, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT)'s Nakhon Phanom Office.
The Illuminated Boat Procession Festival, or Lai Ruea Fai, will be held at Phanom Naga Park. Up to two boats will be displayed daily until the festival ends.
A traditional dance will be held to worship a sacred pagoda at Wat Phra That Phanom on October 29. It will follow with the procession of historic illuminated boats and Prasat Phueng (wax castle), as well as religious ceremonies.
On October 30, the Tak Bat Devo Festival will involve alms offering at the end of the Buddhist Lent, at Phaya Si Sattanakarat Park near Phanom Naga Park.
Lai Ruea Fai Festival is held annually during the 11th month of the lunar calendar when Thai Buddhists sail illuminated boats down the Mekong River.
The locals pay their respects to the Lord Buddha and make offerings to mythical serpents (‘Naga’ in Thai) which supposedly reside in the mighty river and its many tributaries.
It is believed that this ceremony washes away sadness and life’s troubles down the river while also bringing good fortune to the participants and believers.
Locals in Nakhon Phanom gather together with Buddhist monks from each village temple to spectacularly decorate the boats and rafts weeks before the festival takes place. They then load them with food, flowers, incense sticks, candles and handmade lanterns.
Once lit, these illuminated boats are then launched, creating a spectacular visual spectacle as they float down the legendary Mekong River.
